Says West Asia crisis could last weeks
Srinagar, Mar 16: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review the stock position of essential commodities and petroleum products across Jammu and Kashmir, warning Deputy Commissioners that the current West Asia crisis could last longer than expected and directing them to ensure no hoarding, black marketing or artificial scarcity took hold in any district.
“We don’t know how long this will last. It could last a couple of days; it could last a few weeks. Let us assume it may last longer than we are comfortable with. Therefore, the alert that we are on must continue,” Omar said, addressing all district Deputy Commissioners who joined the meeting online.
The Chief Minister directed the Information Department to keep the public regularly updated on stock positions to prevent rumours and panic buying. “By detailing the steps taken and the stock position, we can ensure that elements trying to misuse the situation are not able to do so,” he said.
Omar also directed the administration to maintain constant vigil over commercial LPG supply, particularly in view of the ongoing Navratras, the upcoming Eid and the start of the tourist season, and called for inputs from restaurateurs and hoteliers before any rationalisation of commercial LPG was undertaken.
Commissioner Secretary Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Saurabh Bhagat presented a detailed overview of the supply and stock position, assuring the meeting that despite global disruptions, adequate reserves of petrol, diesel and LPG remained available across storage facilities and distributorships in J&K.
Several regulatory measures have been put in place to prevent misuse. The Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) system has been introduced to ensure LPG cylinders reach only genuine consumers. Oil marketing companies have also launched an e-KYC campaign to verify customer authenticity and identify inactive or duplicate connections.
A temporary cap of 20 per cent of average monthly consumption has been placed on non-domestic LPG supplies, while ensuring uninterrupted supply to hospitals and educational institutions.
The Government of India has additionally provided an ad-hoc allocation of 468 kilolitres of PDS Superior Kerosene Oil (SKO) for cooking and lighting purposes, primarily targeting vulnerable Antyodaya Anna Yojana families.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Satish Sharma drew attention to elements likely to exploit the prevailing situation, assuring the meeting that any unscrupulous traders would be dealt with strictly and made an example of.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo directed Deputy Commissioners to extend full support to Legal Metrology and FCS&CA departments for effective monitoring and enforcement, and stressed that no violations of any kind would be tolerated in any district.
The meeting was attended by Ministers Sakina Itoo and Satish Sharma, Chief Minister’s Adviser Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Principal Secretary Home, Commissioner Secretary FCS&CA, Commissioner Secretary Information, heads of departments, all district Deputy Commissioners, Executive Director Indian Oil Corporation Ashutosh Gupta, representatives of oil companies and other concerned officers.
